Can handling fixtures



Aug. 5, 1958 LE ROY R. KELMAN ETAL 2,845,762

CAN HANDLING FIXTURES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 25, 1955 3 w 09. my ML a 2 R @Z l w.

Aug. 5, 1958 LE ROY R. KELMAN ETAL 4 CAN HANDLING FIXTURES Filed Feb. 25, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 g i flw/M cA/forzz eg United States Patent CAN HANDLING FIXTURES Application February 25, 1955, Serial No. 490,706

3 Claims. (Cl. 53-111) This invention relates 'to the bonding of a metal core to and within a metal can and of a closure to the core and can, and more particularly, to apparatus for enabling the aforesaid bonding to be carried out in a process that involves immersing the'parts to be bonded in a molten bath of the bonding material.

It is known to form a fuel element for a neutronic reactor of an aluminum can, a fuel slug or core of fissionable material such as uranium, a closure plug of aluminum, and an aluminum-silicon bonding material joining the can, core, and closure to one another for efiicient heat transfer. It is customary, when the bonding material is applied by immersion of the can, core, and closure in a bath of the bonding material, tofencase the can in a sleeve that will prevent the bonding material from coating the exterior of the can and the can from being distorted during insertion of the core into the can.

It is desirable to omit the sleevefrom the can, because the sleeve is difiicult to apply to and remove from the can and interferes with transfer of heat from the bath to the can necessary to bonding. If the can has external fins the sleeve becomes complicated in construction, the application and removal of the sleeve is made more difficult.

An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus that will enable a can, core, and closure to be assembled and bonded to one another in a molten bath without encasing the can. The apparatus is constructed in such a way that a special tool that is to remove the bonded assembly of can, core, and plug to a quenching bath may be applied to the assembly while it is still held in the apparatus.

According to the present invention, the apparatus has a base and a head that engage the closed bottom and open top of the can while in the molten bath, the head is constructed to guide the core and closure therethrough into the can, and the head and base are slotted to permit the application of the special removing tool to the bonded assembly of can, core, and closure while the assembly is still engaged by the head and base.

Other objects will be evident from the following description and the drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of the novel apparatus of the present invention; A

Fig. 2 is a plan view of said apparatus;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 3--3' of Fig. 1 and illustrating the mounting of a shaft ina sleeve, both of which form'part of the novel apparatus;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary horizontal view taken on the line 44 of Fig. 1 and showing a base used in the novel apparatus;

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2 and illustrating a head used in the apparatus;

l ig. 6 is an elevational view of a tool that is employed to remove a bonded assembly from the apparatus;

Fig. 7 is a. horizontal sectional view taken on the line 77 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary horizontal view of the of a modified form of apparatus; and I Fig. 9 is a fragmentary elevational view of the base of the modified form of apparatus.

A dipping apparatus 19 of the present invention shown in Fig. 1 comprises an elongated leg 20, a knurled handle 21 secured to the upper endthereof, a triangular bracket- 22 secured to the lower end of the leg 20 and projecting laterally therefrom, a base 23 secured to the bracket- 22 in spaced relation to the lower end of the handle 20,: a sleeve 24 secured to an upper position of the handle 20 in spaced relation thereto, a shaft 25'mounted in the sleeve 24 parallel to the leg 20, an arm 26 secured-' to the lower end of the shaft 25 and extending obliquely therefrom, and a head 27 secured to the end of the arm 26 in spaced relation to the lower end of the shaft 25.

As is shown in Figs. 1 and 4, the base 23 28, four upwardly extending fingers 29, a conical ex- 'terior upper surface 30, and a fiat upper surface 31 which is radially inward of the conical surface 30. Thefingers 29 extend from the conical surface 30 and are arranged with equal spacing in a circle concentric with the surface 30.

As shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 5, the head 27 is annular and has a generally radial slot 32, a conical interior upper surface 33, and four downwardly extending fingers I 34. These fingers are arranged in acircle with equal 90 spacing between them, and each comprises an upper portion 35 and a lower portion 36, which has less rad1althickness than the upper portion 35 and an inner sur-" face that is radially outward of an inner surface on the upper portion 35 of the finger so that a down-. wardly directed shoulder 37 is formed between the portions 35 and 36. One finger 34 has on the inner surfaceof its lower portion 36 a button-like projection 37a which is spaced from the shoulder 37.

The shaft 25 is mounted in the sleeve 24 for axial movement and rotation with respect to the sleeve. As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the sleeve 24 has a slot 38 which extends from the upper end of the sleeve 24 and terminates in a closed end that is well spaced from the upper end but closer to the upper end than the lower end. The

slot 38 has at its upper end a curved inclined slide 39 which increases the width of the slot at thetop; A

threaded member 40 engages a threaded opening in the' shaft 25 and projects radially outwardly therefrom; In the position of Fig. 3 the threaded member 40 goes through the slot 38 in the sleeve 24 and has a head 41- An adjusting 'screw'42 which lies outside the sleeve. is threaded through the head 41 so that the lower end of the screw is engageable with a stop 43 secured to the exterior of the sleeve 24 below the end of the slot- 38.

A handle 44 is secured to the shaft 25 near its upper end and projects perpendicularly therefrom.

When as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the threaded mem- 36 of the fingers 34 on the head 27 and engaging the shoulders 37 on the fingers, and the projection 37aon the one finger engaging a slot 46 in the upper end of the can. When as shown in Figs. land 3 the member- 40 lies in the slot 38, the slot 32 in the head 27 is aligned or registers with the slot 28 on the base 23.

.The handle .44 may beemployedto lift and rotate Patented Aug. 5, 1958 base has a slot the shaft 25 and bring the member 40 out of the slot 38 and into engagement with a portion of the upper end of the sleeve 24 away from the slot. The aforesaid lifting and rotating of the shaft 25 lifts and rotates the head 27 out of the position of Figs. 1 and 5. The wide upper end of the slot 38 in the sleeve 24 facilitates reinsertion of the member 40 in the slot when the head 27 is to be returned to the position of Figs. 1 and 5.

The bracket 22 is generally in the form of a right triangle of which one side is secured to the elongated leg 20; and the corner opposite that side is secured to the base 23. Because of this arrangement, the base 23 is braced in its mounting on the lower end of the leg 20. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the leg 20 is formed of a strip of unequal thickness and width, and the lower half of the leg is braced by a supplemental strip 46a which is secured thereto so as to give it a T-shape in cross section. The various parts of the dipping apparatus 19 may be formed of stainless steel.

Figs. 6 and 7 show a removing tool 47 which is used in conjunction with the dipping apparatus 19 just described. This tool comprises an elongated rod 48, a knurled handle 49 threaded on the upper end of the rod 48, a fixed arm 50 secured to the lower end of the rod 48, a movable arm 51, a slidable tube 52 to which the movable arm 51 is secured, and a spring 53 positioned on the rod 48 so as to act between the tube 52 and a lock nut 54 threaded on the rod 48 against the handle 49. The fixed arm 50 carries a flat seating element 55, and the movable arm 51 has a pointed seating element 56 which is threaded therethrough. The seats 55 and 56 are maintained in alignment and the fixed and movable arms 50 and 51 are maintained parallel by means of a projecting part 57 threaded into the rod 48 and a slot 58 in the tube 52 receiving the part 57. Downward movement of the movable arm 51 and the pointed seat 56 toward the fixed arm 50 and the flat seat 55 is limited by engagement of the projection 57 with the upper end of the slot 58. The arm 51 and the seat 56 may be moved upwardly away from the arm 50 and the seat 55 against the coil spring 53. The action of the spring 53 may be varied by adjustment of the nut 54 and the handle 49 along the rod 48. The tube 52 carries a handle 59 which projects from the upper end of the tube 52 in diametrically opposed relation to the movable arm 51 and is employed to move the tube 52 upwardly along the rod against the spring 53. The arms 50 and 51 are sufficiently narrow to fit, respectively, in the slots 28 and 32 in the base 23 and the head 27 of the dipping apparatus 19. The various parts of the tool 47 may be formed of stainless steel.

The dipping apparatus 19 is employed for immersing the can 45 in a bath of molten metal in order to prepare the can for receiving a core such as a fuel slug of uranium-containing metal and a closure plug. The can 45 and the closure plug may be of aluminum, and the molten bath may be of an eutectic of aluminum and silicon at about 590 to 596 C. This Al-Si bath is to bond the core, can, and closure plug to one another. The aluminum can 45 may be formed by extrusion and may have a plurality of external longitudinal or spiral fins that are formed in the extrusion of the rest of the can. The outer surface of the aluminum can including the fins is coated to prevent the Al-Si bath from sticking. Such coating may take the form of graphite applied by the spraying on the can exterior of a colloidal suspension of graphite and water. It may be desirable to dip the can in a 0.01 normal NaOH solution at 60-70 C. for 30 seconds before application of the graphite coating. An oxide coating may be obtained by dipping of the can into a solution containing Na CO and Na Cr O at l80200 F. for 20 minutes and then into a Na Cr O solution at ISO-200 F. for minutes.

When the coated can 45 is applied to the apparatus 19 as shown in Fig. l, the closed lower end of the can rests on the base 23 and is embraced by the fingers 29, and the head 27' is brought down upon the open upper end of the can so that the lower finger portions 36 embrace the open end of the can, the shoulders 37 on the fingers engage the edges formed at the upper end of the can, and the button-like projection 37a is received in the notch 46 in the upper end of the can.

Now the apparatus 19 is manipulated to immerse the can 45 in the Al-Si bath, the open end of the can being uppermost and an appreciable distance below the surface of the bath. The handle 44 is grasped so as to hold the head 27 down in its lowest position and prevent the can from floating in the bath. The can 45 becomes filled by the Al-Si bath and attains the temperature of the bath almost immediately, thus requiring no preheating, because the can has no surrounding sleeve and comes in direct contact both inside and outside with the Al-Si bath. To insure thorough wetting by the Al-Si on the inside surface of the can, a stainless steel wool brush is pushed into the can while thus submerged in the Al-Si bath, and is then twisted and withdrawn. The engagement of the projection 37a on the head 27 with the notch 46 in the can prevents rotation of the can while the brush is being twisted in the can. Now while the can is completely submerged so that its open end is several inches below the surface of the bath, the core, which has been previously thoroughly wetted by the Al-Si bath, is inserted through the head 27 and allowed to settle under gravity to the bottom of the can, the Al-Si in the can being displaced therefrom as the core settles. When the core has completely settled, the closure plug, which has been thoroughly wetted by the Al-Si bath, is inserted through the head 27 into the open upper end of the can 45 on top of the core. The conical interior surface 33 of the head 27 serves to locate and guide the core and the closure plug as they are being inserted into the can. The slight flare indicated in Fig. 5 for the upper end of the can facilitates insertion of the core and closure plug.

Almost immediately the can, core, and closure plug become bonded to one another, and now they and the apparatus are removed together from the bath. Thereafter the tool 47 of Figs. 6 and 7 is applied with its fiat seat 55 engaging the can bottom, and its pointed seat 56 engaging the closure plug. The pointed seat 56 may penetrate the surface of the closure plug slightly and thus enables the tool 47' better to hold the assembly. It is assumed that the closure plug is thick enough not to be damaged or perforated by the slight penetration by the pointed seat 56. The flat seat 55 is ideally suited to the can bottom, which may be relatively thin like the can walls. Now the head 27 is raised from the closure plug of the assembly and shifted to one side by axial movement and rotation of the shaft 25 in the sleeve 24. The assembly is now lifted off the base 23 and transferred to a quenching bath by means of the tool 47, which stays in engagement with the assembly during the quenching operation and is used to remove the assembly from the quenching bath. The pressing down of the seat 56 against the closure plug by means of the arm 51 and the spring 53 keeps the closure plug properly seated during the quenching operation. Since the tool 47 engages the assembly only at the top and bottom, there is not the tendency for the assembly to go out of round such as might result from engagement of the assembly by its sides. The tool 47 can be applied to the assembly of the can, core, and closure plug while the same is engaged by the base 23 and the head 27 of the apparatus 19, because the arms 50 and 51 and seats 55 and 56 of the tool 47 fit in the slots 28 and 32 of the base 23 and the head 27.

In an alternate form of dipping tool 61 illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9, a base 62 comprises a fiat bottom portion 63 and arcuate legs 64 and 65 extending upwardly therefrom. Legs 64 are relatively narrow, and legs 65 are relatively wide. The bottom of the can 45 is to engage the bottom portion 63, and the legs 64 and 65 are to receive or embrace the sides of the can adjacent the can bottom. The bottom portion 63 has a radial slot 66 of a width to receive the arm 50 and the seat 55 of the tool 47. The slot 66 has a beveled edge 67 to facilitate insertion of the arm 50 and the seat 55 in the slot.

The intention is to limit the invention only within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for supporting in a bath of molten metal a can open at the top and closed at the bottom to permit the can to be provided with an internal coating and to receive a core to be bonded thereto through the internal coating and a closure plug on top of the core, said apparatus comprising a long leg having a handle at its upper end, a bracket secured to and projecting laterally from the lower end of the leg, a base secured to the bracket in laterally offset relationship to the lower end of the leg and having a slot and a plurality of upwardly extending fingers, a sleeve secured to the leg parallel thereto near its upper end, a shaft mounted in the sleeve for rotation and axial movement with respect thereto and having upper and lower ends protruding from the sleeve, a handle secured to the upper end, an arm secured to the lower end of the shaft and extending obliquely dowwardly therefrom, and an annular head having a conical interior upper surface to facilitate the passage of the core and the closure plug through the head into the can, said annular head being secured to the end of the arm remote from the shaft in alignment with the base and having a slot registering with the slot in the base and a plurality of downwardly extending fingers the lower portions of the fingers on the head being of less radial thickness than the upper portions and having inner surfaces at a greater radius from the axis of the head than those of the upper portion to form downwardly directed shoulders at the junctures of said upper and lower portions; whereby the can may be placed on the base with the sides of the can adjacent the bottom engaging the inner surfaces of the fingers on the base, the head may be swung and lowered by rotation and axial movement of the shaft in the sleeve to bring the fingers on the head into engagement with the exterior of the can adjacent the upper end, the apparatus may be lowered to submerge the can in the bath so as to cause the same to fill the can and come into direct contact with the exterior thereof, the core may be lowered through the head into the can and displace most of the molten metal therein, and the closure plug may be lowered through the slot in the head into the upper end of the can against the upper end of the core and displace most of the molten metal in the upper end of the can.

2. The apparatus specified in claim 1, the bracket being shaped like a triangle of which one side extends along and is secured to the leg and the corner opposite the said one side being secured to the base, the apparatus further comprising a strip secured to the lower half of the leg so as to brace the same by creating with the same a T-shape in cross section.

3. An apparatus for supporting in a bath of molten metal a can open at the top and closed at the bottom to permit the can to be provided with an internal coating and to receive a core to be bonded thereto through the internal coating and a closure plug on top of the core, said apparatus comprising a long leg having a handle at its upper end, a bracket secured to and projecting laterally from the lower end of the leg, a base secured to the bracket in laterally oifset relationship to the lower end of the leg and having a slot and a plurality of upwardly extending fingers, a sleeve secured to the leg parallel thereto near its upper end, a shaft mounted in the sleeve for rotation and axial movement with respect thereto and having upper and lower ends protruding from the sleeve, a handle secured to the upper end, an arm secured to the lower end of the shaft and extending at an angle therefrom, and an annular head secured to the end of the arm remote from the shaft in alignment with the base and having a slot registering with the slot in the base and a plurality of downwardly extending fingers, said sleeve further having a longitudinal slot extending from the upper end of the sleeve and terminating in a closed end near but spaced from the upper end of the sleeve, the apparatus further comprising a stop secured to the exterior of the sleeve directly below the closed end of the slot, a member extending laterally from a connection with the shaft and having a head positioned outside the sleeve and a screw threaded through the head; whereby positioning of the member in the slot and the screw against the stop insures engagement of the fingers on the head with the open upper end of the can and lifting of the shaft and rotation thereof to a condition involving engagement of the member with the upper end of the sleeve insures removal of the head from the upper end of the can, and rotation of the screw shifts it lengthwise of the shaft to adjust that axial position of the shaft with respect to the sleeve determined by contact of the screw with the stop and thereby to adjust the spacing between the head and the base for accommodating the apparatus to cans of diiferent lengths.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,503,898 Hott Aug. 5, 1924 1,508,641 Boesrup Sept. 16, 1924 1,853,899 Haverstick Apr. 12, 1932 2,429,046 Billig Oct. 14, 1947 2,480,924 Heger Sept. 6, 1949 

